aperol

Hot! Hot! Hot! If you’re feeling the heat… eat, drink and get creative!

1 Affogato

The Italians perfect it again, combining two quality ingredients for the ultimate cool down pick-me-up or super sleek cheats dessert. Pour espresso over a scoop of luxury vanilla ice-cream. Best served in a little glass with a teeny spoon.

2 Pimm’s ice-lolly

Ok I’m far too impatient to wait for my lollies to freeze and photograph a sexy, drippy shot (I want this out before the sun goes in!). So enjoy the art!

3 Kiwifruit gets it’s summer hat on!

This blingy variety of Kiwifruit – SunGold, is the perfect snack for when you need to get out of the door – the skin is smooth enough to eat! It contains about 3 times more vitamin C than an orange, for a healthy weekend breakfast try this SunGold kiwifruit, coconut and granola breakfast pot;

Blitz 2 peeled and chopped SunGold kiwifruit in a blender until smooth, place 30g of your favourite granola in a glass, spoon over a pot of coconut yogurt, top with the kiwifruit and decorate with toasted coconut flakes.

Available from May through to September in Waitrose,Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Asda and M&S.

4 Aperol spritz

Always keep a bottle of Aperol and a small bottle of soda water in the cupboard for an unexpected heat wave when, shock-horror, you haven’t chilled the Prosecco! This little cocktail, usually drank as aperitif in Italy, is mixed over ice. Gorgeous on a summer’s evening with a few nibbles! Fill a large wine glass with ice, add 75ml of Prosecco, 50ml Aperol and a dash of soda. Garnish with a slice of orange.

5 Seaside cake

Baking may be the last thing you want to do when it’s baking! But when you’ve got a super cool design like this it might be worth taking on the extra heat. For a smaller project (great for kids in summer holidays!) simply make the ice-cream cone cupcakes. To scale down the cake mix use 175g butter, 175g caster sugar, 3 large eggs and 175g self-raising flour. You should have enough for around 10-12 cones. For the full recipe visit Homemade with Sainsbury’s & The Huffington Post

6 New drink alert!

Cambridge twins Dan & Ben Ritsema invented this red-hot drink. Whilst at uni, they enjoyed an alchololic beverage or two (!) but wondered if it was possible to make a healthier alternative? They loved cranberry juice for its health benefits, so tried fermenting cranberries to make a cranberry ‘cider’ and that was the beginning of Cranes! Original cranberry available from Ocado three bottles for £5. Visit drinkcranes for more info.

7 JUST EAT Food Fest

Pulled pork from Whaam Banhi

Even one of the world’s leading digital marketplaces for takeaway food is telling us to go out and eat in the sun! A celebration of world cuisine, visitors are invited to try three dishes for £8 (or £4 each) from the pop-up street food vendors. Just a handful include Italian Pizza from Sapore Vero, Jerk Chicken from Panda Berry, Caramelised Pork Belly Rice Bowl from Whaam Banh Mi and Strawberry Cheesecake flavour doughnuts from Dum Dum Donutterie. With live music and DJs. Visit www.just-eat.co.uk/london/foodfest for more info.

Forget cold beans and an energy bar. I may not have Hunter wellies [yet] but whilst in the New Forest this weekend I experienced a touch of glamping for the first time. A sound sleep on a decent camping mattress, with a proper double duvet and pillows followed by a delicious breakfast is definitely the way forward.

As the smell of barbecued bacon wafted over the campsite for our luxury bacon butties (topped with a flourish of baby salad leaves I might add), inspiration struck for my entry for the Parmigiano Reggiano cross cooking challenge to re-create a typical dish from my culinary culture using this delicious Parmesan cheese:

Aperitvo or ‘getting-the-taste-buds-going’ as I like call it, is a whole other level in Italy. We ordered an Aperol in Undine – this promptly appeared with a huge plate of Orecchiette alle cime di rapa which left me mouthing to Giuseppe, ‘do we have to pay for this?’ (this was met by an Italian tut). How was I to know? They charge £2.50 for a bowl of peanuts in London. Delighted, I sipped my Aperol and tucked into the pasta. So it was a real treat last weekend when my sister-in-law brought out the Aperol before Sunday lunch. However she supercharged it by making an Aperol Spritz which did get-my-taste-buds-going but also demanded a pre-dinner snooze. That stuff is strong.

For Aperol spritz you will need 3 parts of Prosecco to 2 parts Aperol to 1 part soda water, pour over ice and finish with a slice of orange. Aperol costs around £15 for 700ml, available at most major supermarkets. For more info visit aperolspritzuk.co.uk

Design time

Look out for designjunction showcasing the very best in furniture, lighting and product design from around the world at the iconic 1960s Sorting Office in New Oxford Street. Italian design brand, Alessi are bringing a pop-up cafe and bar to the ground floor space. The on-site cafe has been realised by designer Mario Trimarchi, and will serve coffee the Italian way. Alessi will also run a pop-up shop for the duration of the event, presenting the Super and Popular collection, a selection of 70 of Alessi’s most familiar and successful objects. Part of The London Design Festival 18th-21st September.